Finishing a project always makes me want to SING, SING, SING!

Which is really funny since I can’t carry a tune to save my life. Seriously. In the 2nd grade my music teacher made us all sing one-by-one in front of the class. And- no lie- she told me I should never, ever sing in front of anyone again… I should just mouth the words.

So for projects to make me want to sing aloud- it just baffles me. So it might make me WANT to sing. But I don’t ACTUALLY sing.

So… after I figured out that upholstery was, indeed, something that should be included on lulu kate’s roadmap, well let’s just say I went gung-ho, full-steam ahead. And I didn’t just go for the chair on the side of the road as my first experiment. Oh, no. I had to experiment with my all-time fave chair. The one that was part of a set. The chairs that I dearly love. The chairs that survived a tornado. The chairs that, when I sit in them, my feet actually touch the floor (because I am really SHORT).

I just HAD to start with a chair that would probably emotionally crush me if I screwed it up.

Well… I’ll skip the suspense. I did not screw it up. Thank goodness! And I even managed to successfully reupholster it’s match- Hallelujah! (With help from my sewing partner, Kip Ford… Yep, upholstery is tough. You need 4 hands if at all possible.)

And you better believe we both felt a monumental sense of accomplishment. Yahoo!

So what did I want to sing?

TA-DA, of course!

Because… the challenge was real.

The work was no joke.

The result was amazing (to me, at least).

And I may be facing an upholstery addiction.

And suffice it to say that I wanted to shout, sing and beat a drum to the tune of TA-DA from the rooftop (or perhaps just the 2nd floor guestroom window), but the HOA members may not appreciate that too much. And well, they might call the police or the nearest mental health facility. It would be quite out of character for me.

But have you ever accomplished something that just made you want to act out of character in pure celebration? See- I knew it!

So instead of singing, I’ve chosen to show off front, side and back pictures of my chair to every single person I encounter as I walk lulu- our sweet little bichon. Hey- she likes to stop and smell each blade of grass, so this shouldn’t be a hardship for her. But again… HOA members might post a disclaimer: Beware… Donna is armed with photos of her latest project. Approach with extreme caution.

But I probably wouldn’t elaborate to my neighbors how well-versed I am now in working with the pneumatic stapler. Nope. That took me way out of my comfort zone. But that comfort zone sure is expanding.

I’d likely skip over the fact that this project took every last ounce of courage I could muster as well as my entire warped sense of humor. Or the fact that my hands found comfort twice each day in a bowl of ice water.

So the next time y’all have a project to celebrate… let me know! I’ll join you in celebration and mouth the words to whatever tune you’d like! And I’ll even do a happy dance for you, too… I took dance lessons for years- and my dance teacher never told me to refrain from dancing.